The Potter's Wheel
by Tarma Hartley
Summary: Watanuki is feeling really put out so Yuuko sends him to the warehouse, telling him to go to a certain potter's wheel he'll find there. Little does he know that he's about to have quite an unexpected, but wonderful, encounter... DouWat, Teen, some kissing


__A/N: I do not own Watanuki, Doumeki or Yuuko; CLAMP does. The plot, however, is mine. _  
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_Watanuki is feeling really put out one afternoon-after a few weeks of being followed by spirits-so Yuuko sends him to the warehouse to find a certain certain potter's wheel in the back. Little does he know that he's about to have quite an unexpected, but wonderful, encounter..._  
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My first ever posted XXXHOLIC Watanuki x Doumeki fic so I am a bit nervous! *I have another finished but in the process of rewriting and another I haven't really started.* Anyway, the inspiration for this story is taken from the movie _Ghost_.

Hope you enjoy!

**Thanks **to Midnight-hunter, for her wonderful beta-reading skills! Much appreciated!

**EXTRA SPECIAL THANKS **to my loving husband, DezoPenguin, for his love, concern, care and support, and for helping me to stay grounded during the writing process so I don't end up tearing my hair out with frustration. Love you, honey, and thanks!

Comments and suggestions are appreciated and welcomed! *Since this is my first XXXHOLIC posting, I wouldn't mind some direction from the more experienced in this pairing if I need it. I hate the title, too, but I couldn't think of a better one.*

Rated Teen, Watanuki x Doumeki, Romance, male/male relationships

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_October 15th  
>Yuuko's Warehouse<br>1 P.M._

Watanuki stood quietly beside the potter's wheel, looking down at the lump of clay sitting there on top, ready to be shaped into whatever he chose. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting his mind drift over a thousand pleasant thoughts before he opened them again, focusing his attention to the ball on the wheel as he sat down, arranging himself carefully on the seat.

It had been at Yuuko's rather _pointed_ suggestion-after his latest blowup earlier that afternoon-that he'd come here this in order to vent some of his frustration that had been building up over the past four weeks. She'd told him that there was a potter's wheel and a bucket of clay near the back of the warehouse and suggested-_ordered is more like it, _he thought bitterly as he stared at the clay that sat unobtrusively on the wheel-that he stay there for the rest of the afternoon and make good use of it.

He wasn't sure exactly _why _he was so frustrated and angry lately but he figured that it had something to do with the lack of sleep he'd been getting with the latest surge of spirit infestations that were following him around. That would be enough to unnerve anyone.

His fingers trembled as he slowly reached out to touch the clay, his mind racing frantically as he brushed the uneven surface with his fingertips. It was such an intimate experience and he found himself wondering, as he reached out with his hands, cupping them around the clay, what it would ultimately turn out to be.

He kneaded the clay carefully though firmly, his fingers digging deeply into it. He closed his eyes, a wave of nostalgia rolling over him as he did so. He thought, as he kneaded, of the events that had first brought him to Yuuko's shop in what seemed like a lifetime ago; he thought of Maru and Moro, the two girls who lived at the shop and could never, since they were soulless, go outside of it; he thought of the adventures he'd had over the years and, as much as he hated to admit it, he thought of Doumeki.

His eyes snapped open as this passed in his mind, pushing himself away from the wheel with a strangled scream, leaving the clay an uneven, mashed, reproachful lump in the middle of it. His breath came in short, ragged pants as he fought to clear his mind of his erstwhile classmate and major source of irritation; he tried to think of Himawari-chan, her long, curly black hair, her porcelain white skin, her beautiful smile, her gentle voice, her kindness...

For a moment, he gloried in the image of her that slipped into his mind, savoring the pleasure that rolled over him like a waterfall before, much to his chagrin, her face began to change into a triangular male face that was becoming all _too _familiar to his fantasies. He desperately tried to stop the transformation but it was all in vain.

He gritted his teeth as Himawari's image began to stretch upward, her breasts flattening into a hard, male chest, her eyes slowly narrowing into guarded, hooded slits, her generous mouth tightening into the annoying tight-lipped smile that never failed to make him angry when its owner opened his mouth to say something which was either in the form of an insult or demanding he make him a bento box lunch. No matter how hard he tried to banish the image, it refused to go away, becoming more and more pronounced as the moments passed.

_That damn jerk!_ he thought angrily, clenching his fingers into a fist and flattening the clay into a roughshod circle with one blow. _It's bad enough that I have to put up with that oaf at school; now_ he's _invading my thoughts! I wish he'd go away and leave me the hell alone! What do I need that moron for anyway?_

Once again, he tried to banish the images of Doumeki that were crowding into his brain but he couldn't; no matter how hard he tried, they refused to go away. He came into the forefront of Watanuki's mind, almost daring him to try and banish him.

After another unsuccessful attempt to get rid of him, he gave up in disgust some time later and tried, once again, to focus on the clay in front of him. There was something deep within its heart that was crying out to him for release and, closing his eyes once again, Watanuki reached out, feeling the clay squelch between his slim fingers.

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_3 P.M._

He cleared his mind as much as he was able and began to knead the clay for what seemed like the fiftieth time and, once he was ready, pushed the pedal underneath the wheel. It began to turn, at first slowly and then began to pick up speed as he pressed his foot harder against it. He could feel the clay whipping by his fingers as he did so and he eased up on the pedal, the slower revolutions making it easier to shape the clay as it passed by.

He drew back his fingers, dipping them into the water jar placed by the wheel for easier reach until they were wet and placed them around the clay, a smile spreading across his face as he felt it give underneath the gentle pressure he was exerting upon it.

The wheel continued to turn but Watanuki seemed unaware of that as his fingers continued to shape the clay, slowly coaxing it until it was starting to take a discernible shape. He sighed sweetly as his mind drifted, relaxation beginning to wash over him. He didn't know how long he sat there since time seemed to stand still here in this place, his moistened fingers moving slowly up and down the wet and malleable clay, but, for the first time in four weeks, he was happy and at peace.

_This is wonderful_, he thought blissfully, a small moan of pleasure burbling up from his lips, his fingers working more quickly now as his confidence increased. _For the first time in a_ very _long time, I'm finally at peace with myself and the world in general. Nothing to bother me, no spirits hanging around... Peaceful bliss..._

The wheel continued to turn as Watanuki lost himself once again in his thoughts, his fingers moving quickly as it shaped the clay...

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_5 P.M._

He was so lost in thought that it took a few minutes to realize that there was _another _presence in the room with him and he started in panic, thinking that somehow a spirit had infiltrated his space. As he came back to himself and became more aware of his surroundings, he soon saw, with quickly darting eyes, that there was no evidence of any kind of spiritual activity.

Still he wondered, as he continued to shape the clay, exactly _what_ it was that had interrupted his reverie. He didn't have long to wonder since he felt the pressure of another body behind him... a hard, _male _body that folded itself perfectly into the curve of his back, sweet breath tickling the back of his neck, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He shivered in pleasure as he felt the soft, wet touch of a pair of lips, tenderly planting a gentle kiss on his now heated and oversensitive flesh...

_Doumeki_...?

Watanuki's eyes flew open, his mouth quivering, a piercing scream filling the room as he leapt up and launched himself across the room, slamming hard into the wall opposite. He trembled as he doubled over, gasping for breath, his mind whirling with confusion, his thoughts tumbling over one another as he fought to regain some kind of conscious control. Which brought up a rather disconcerting question: Why was he so freaked out by his response to that kiss...?

"Doumeki!" he sputtered angrily, waiting for his racing heart to go back to normal, his left hand clutching at his chest while his classmate looked at him dispassionately from across the room where he sat quietly at the potter's wheel, his hands folded serenely on his lap. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You nearly gave me a heart attack, you dumb jerk!"

"I didn't do anything," Doumeki replied softly, tilting his head to the right, an action that Watanuki found strangely fascinating if his thudding heart was anything to go by.

_Why...why does it... make my heart beat like this...? It's_ only _Doumeki!_

"Yes, you did, you dumb oaf!" Watanuki stood straight up, trying to still his quaking legs, pointing his finger shakily at him. "You scared me nearly half to death sneaking up on me like that! What the hell were you thinking?"

Doumeki stared at him silently for a few moments before he answered.

"You looked... _cute_... sitting there," he replied, his face an impenetrable mask that made the fuming teenager really wonder exactly _what_ he _was _thinking.

Watanuki's temper snapped.

"**CUTE**?" he screamed as Doumeki sighed and plugged his ears with his fingers, a bored expression plastering itself over his face as his eyes rolled upward. "You think I looked **CUTE** and **THAT'S** why you decided to sneak up on me and scare me?" His face screwed up into an angry pout, his skin flushing a dark red as he clenched his hands into fists. "That _isn't_ funny, Doumeki!"

"I _didn't_ sneak up on you," Doumeki said firmly, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Watanuki. "I called out to you when I first came in through the door but you were so lost in what you were doing that you didn't hear me."

He sat quietly for a few moments more before he stood, his tall, lean body rising effortlessly with a grace that took Watanuki's breath away. His heart was pounding so hard in his chest as he watched Doumeki make his way over to him that he was surprised that he didn't hear it.

"I'm sorry," he said tonelessly, his smooth, baritone voice sounding contrite as he slowly walked over to the other side of the room, his eyes mirroring true remorse as he stopped in front of him, reaching out to touch him. Watanuki gasped, liquid fire flowing from where Doumeki had touched him, his gentle touch searing his skin. "I didn't mean to scare you."

He gasped for breath, clutching the cuff of Doumeki's black school uniform with trembling fingers, his blue eyes haunted as he stared at him, his mouth working but no sound emerged. His classmate's eyes narrowed once again but this time with concern as he stood there, looking down at Watanuki's shaking hand clutching his cuff with red, clay stained fingers.

He wasn't certain _what_ this plethora of feelings were that were racing through him; all he knew was that he was confused by his reaction to Doumeki's closeness and wondering _why_ he was feeling the way he was for the dumb jock.

Watanuki had known him for quite some time and it was always as his rather annoying and irritating classmate who always demanded food from him; now, he was _definitely_ sweating, his heart pounding in his chest and his skin flushing a dirty red with embarrassment at Doumeki's proximity to him.

_What is going on?_ he wondered fearfully, the strength of his emotions frightening him with their powerful intensity. He didn't know what had caused this surge and it scared him that he was feeling this way without really knowing why. _Why am I feeling like this... and for Doumeki? He's just a dumb, stupid jerk who looks really, really attractive right now... and I don't know _why!

He'd never felt this way before about anyone, with the exception of Himawari-chan... no, wait, even _this_ he found to his surprise, was different from his feelings for her. These were much more deep and encompassing and he found this to be very troubling when he thought of it... which he _wasn't _trying to do! Or so he told himself.

"Is something wrong?" he heard Doumeki ask, his classmate's voice laden with genuine concern.

Watanuki's first thought was to tell that dumb jerk to shut up, to mind his own business, that he was fine, thank you and didn't particularly need his help! He opened his mouth to tell him so but was mortified when he heard _this_ coming out instead: "I...I... don't know, exactly."

He flushed even redder but Doumeki just stood there, still and silent as a statue, his face wreathed in concern for Watanuki. Somehow he found this even more unnerving than those blasted feelings that kept cropping up that he had no explanation for or, at least, nothing he wanted to admit had any explanation for.

Watanuki gulped as he stared into those deep, unfathomable gold eyes that didn't, as he had feared-where did this come from? It didn't make any sense! Why the hell should he care what that stupid jerk thought?-look back mockingly but with infinite tenderness and concern. And, if that wasn't enough, he thought he could see something... _else_... lurking in those fathomless gold pools, a longing he'd never, ever expected to see, for ...him?

_Huh?_

He gasped as the surprise of it hit him but he didn't pull back which was a wonder. He'd never really understood _why_ Doumeki always hung around him; as far as he was concerned, he was a lumbering oaf and irritant that had attached himself to him without invitation although, loathe as he was to admit it, he _did _help him more than once and had saved his life more times than he could recall.

He'd always wondered _why _Doumeki had saved him, not that he was complaining, really. He'd been grateful to him for doing so up until the dumb jerk would either insult him or demand he cook him something; then his temper would overtake his mouth and he'd tell him off.

Now, as he stared deeply into those hauntingly beautiful eyes, he began to see that there was something more than he could ever have dreamed deep within Doumeki, something that was as strong and as penetrating as his own puzzling, very irritating and quite confusing feelings...

_I've...never seen this side of him before._ His eyes widened at the thought, Doumeki's grip on him becoming firmer. _Was it always there and I never noticed it until now or...?_

"Are you all right?" he heard Doumeki ask again, the worry in his voice thick enough to cut with a knife. Watanuki's heart skipped a beat as he looked into those eyes; he was drowning in those wonderful pools of shimmering gold and, despite himself, he _didn't_ want to stop. All he wanted to do was to stay here and lose himself in that intoxicating gaze...

"Watanuki?"

_I never thought... I... I never knew... How long has...?_

"Watanuki?"

_Now it makes sense..._ everything _makes sense..._

"Watanuki? You ok?"

_How could I have been so blind...? It was here, staring at me right in the face all of the time and I didn't even notice..._

"Watanuki! Oi! Watanuki... snap out of it!"

He snapped back like he'd been slapped, the worried voice of his classmate breaking through the pleasant dream he'd been engaged in. He looked into Doumeki's face with wonder as he saw his face slowly turn from worried to relieved to loving in the space of ten seconds and smiled gently.

Doumeki's eyebrow rose.

"Are you all right?" he asked dubiously, his head tilting to the right as he looked at the dreamy expression on Watanuki's face. "You look _really_ out of it."

"I'm fine," Watanuki replied dreamily, his eyes still unfocused. "In fact," he continued as if he hadn't heard him, "I've never felt so right in my life... until now."

"You sure you're all right?" Doumeki persisted, waving his free hand in front of Watanuki's face, the latter not even blinking as he looked at his rather confused, and wary, classmate. "You sound ..._weird_."

He gasped as Watanuki reached out with his other hand, grasping Doumeki's free hand and pressing his lips onto his upturned palm. He stiffened but didn't pull his hand way or even more for which Watanuki was secretly grateful.

This was hard enough; he was quite surprised that he'd reached out and grabbed Doumeki's hand since it seemed, to his astonished and befuddled mind, that his body was on auto-pilot. He was surprised not only by actually doing it but _wanting _to do it and the jolt of electricity that had hummed through the both of them after he'd taken Doumeki's hand in his hit him like a sledgehammer.

Doumeki had gone very quiet but the trembling in his hand belied his normally placid expression; his eyes spoke volumes as he looked at Watanuki with an expression of amazed wonder and erstwhile hope.

"Watanuki..." The words were spoken in an rush of breath as Doumeki stepped slowly toward him, his lips parting slightly as his right hand lifted haltingly to cup the right side of his face, his thumb gently stroking his skin. "I-"

He never had a chance to say another word before Watanuki leaned forward suddenly, pressing his mouth hard against Doumeki's, the latter woofing out a muffled exclamation of surprise.

Much to Watanuki's relief, he _didn't _pull away after that first initial burst of unexpected amazement; instead, he quickly stepped forward, deepening the kiss as he pulled Watanuki close to him, his eyes fluttering closed as he did so.

"I love you," Watanuki heard himself saying as the two pulled back briefly to take a breath; he could feel his heart thudding madly in his chest as he leaned forward once more, feeling he felt Doumeki's lips press against his, his tongue sliding gently into his mouth, twirling and dancing with his own as they held each other close.

"I love you, too," he heard Doumeki reply as he stepped back again to take a breath before their mouths met once again. Watanuki's arms slowly wound themselves around his neck, closing his eyes as he did so, both of them losing themselves in the sensation.

The sun set behind them, covering the world in a soft shroud of deepest velvet black...

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_9 P.M._

Yuuko smiled as she looked in through the window of the warehouse where Watanuki and Doumeki stood, arms wrapped protectively around each other, their mouths pressed together.

The moonlight illuminated the two perfectly in a soft, white glow as they continued their fervent kiss. She watched a few moments more before stepping discreetly away, a wide grin on her face.

_I_ knew _it was a good idea for Watanuki to take up pottery as a hobby!_

She chuckled softly as she stepped back into the dark, leaving them alone as they enjoyed their embrace.


End file.
